The Tennessee Volunteers (3-3) will travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on No. 3 Ole Miss (6-0). The Vols are coming off a 45-10 win over Chattanooga in Week 7. The Rebels captured a 35-20 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday, continuing what has been a stellar start to the season. Here’s a look inside the numbers.
THE GOOD
68: A.J. Johnson leads the Southeastern Conference with 68 total tackles. The senior recorded nine tackles performance against Chattanooga and has recorded at least nine in each game this season. Johnson is having a career season and is a serious candidate for SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
5: Justin Worley recorded a career-best five touchdowns in Tennessee’s 45-10 win over Chattanooga on Saturday. Worley threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-24 passing. He added two more scores on a pair of goal line QB keepers in the second and third quarters. The senior quarterback bounced back from a disappointing three turnover game against Florida in Week 6.
96: Tennessee’s defense held Chattanooga to just 96 passing yards. Starting quarterback Jacob Huesman threw for 85 and an interception on 9-of-16 passing. Backup Alejandro Bennifield threw one pass for 11 yards.
THE BAD
23: Tennessee’s offensive line has allowed 23 total sacks, including six sacks on Saturday. Unlike the previous three contests, Saturday’s matchup should have been favorable for the Vols offensive line facing an FCS team. However, the Mocs managed to pressure Worley, who had a stellar performance despite his teammates ineptitude.
10: Chattanooga managed to score 10 points on Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Though this may seem like a reach, its Chattanooga. There’s no reason an SEC should allow the Mocs to score double-digit point totals in any game, let alone at home.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
